Thin and Crispy Cornbread

By Kim Severson

Thin and Crispy Cornbread
Dustin Chambers for The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(174)
Comments
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The thick, golden wedges of cornbread served directly from a skillet that you see in glossy food magazines look nothing like the thin and crispy cornbread April McGreger’s Mississippi grandmother used to make. The ratio of crunch to tender middle here errs on the side of crunch, which makes it perfect for soaking up the delicious broth called potlikker, which comes from simmering smoked meat and greens, sometimes cooked with Southern field peas. This cornbread bakes up best in a well-seasoned 12-inch cast-iron skillet, though you can divide the batter between two smaller skillets or even cake pans. A scattering of dry coarse cornmeal in the hot skillet before you pour in the batter makes the cornbread extra crunchy. Flipping it onto a plate or rack also helps the crust stay crisp. Or you could make it thicker and cook it ahead of time, then split the slices and toast them before serving.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 pieces
  • ¼cup bacon drippings or vegetable oil
  • 2cups coarse cornmeal, preferably white, plus about 2 tablespoons extra for the skillet
  • 1¼teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½teaspoon baking soda
  • 1large egg
  • 1¼cups buttermilk, preferably whole
  • ¼cup hot tap water
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

227 calories; 8 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 228 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Add bacon drippings to a 12-inch skillet and place in the oven to warm.

  2. Step 2

    In a medium mixing bowl, use a whisk or fork to combine the cornmeal, salt and baking soda. Add the egg, buttermilk and water and stir well to combine. When the skillet is very hot and the bacon grease is sizzling, carefully remove from the oven and pour half the hot fat into the cornbread batter. Whisk well to combine.

  3. Step 3

    Working quickly, sprinkle the hot skillet with the remaining coarse cornmeal. It should smell like popcorn. Pour the batter into the hot pan and return to the oven. Check after 20 minutes, baking until the cornbread is deep golden brown.

  4. Step 4

    Remove the hot pan from the oven and immediately flip out onto a plate. Cut into wedges.

Ratings

4 out of 5
174 user ratings
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Comments

Stephanie R

Having made cornbread all of my life, I see no reason to heat the skillet in the oven when you can do so more easily and more safely on the stove top. Then simply add the bacon fat, heat and dump the hot fat into the mixture as directed. Then proceed as directed in the recipe.

David

1 cup of whole milk
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Stir let sit for a few minutes
Voila! Whole Butter milk.

Perry

I’m a native Texan who’s lived in NY, Boston and New Orleans but grew up with grandmothers in deep East Texas and Southern Louisiana who were cooks that excelled in traditional Southern home cooking, including the best and omnipresent skillet cornbread. Over the years I’ve used a recipe that includes flour, (never sugar, always bacon fat) but realize now, having cooked this recipe, that I’m finally home! How simple and wonderful! This will be my go to recipe going forward! Thank you so much!

Amy

I don't know what I did wrong, but this turned out incredibly rubbery. Followed the recipe, no substitutions.

Brian

I nearly always have trouble getting the cornbread out of the pan. Some part of it always sticks to the bottom of the pan and doesn't fall out cleanly. I'm guessing I need to be sure those 2T of cornmeal scattered in the pain are very evenly distributed.

Brian

Not sure what happened. I've used this recipe before without mishap, but this time around when I poured the hot shortening into the batter it exploded. There was a loud pop and drops of batter went all over. Not sure what caused that, or why it hasn't happened before. I always use butter for the shortening, and the batter was all at room temperature. If I do this again I think I'll melt part of the butter on the stove top so it isn't quite so hot when I add it to the batter.

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